I'm back ...

... after my two-week, self-imposed internet hiatus (did you miss me?)....

I'm not sure about whether I'll get the miracle (I'm just going to leave it in God's hands), but I do know that I had a very productive two weeks -- lots of changes ahead, some book reviews to post and two new designs ready for your knitting pleasure:

"Victoria's Tee" is available for immediate download ($4.99) and is sized from XS-5X.    Knit in a fingering-weight, cotton-acrylic blend, this is a great year-round top -- looks wonderful over something or alone!

Malcolum's Cluthar (very rough Gaelic translation for Malcolm's Cozy) with cap and toy cube is available for immediate download (4.99).  The blanket is knit in worsted weight, organic cotton and the cap will fit a baby 0-6mo.  The cube is a large, 7-inch toy with bells buried deep inside for the baby's amusement.  A lovely set for a dear friend's first baby.

Oh, and for those of you in the area (or want to come visit):  I'll be the morning speaker (as well as doing a couple of afternoon sessions) at Dog House Yarns' knitting retreat on April 9th out at Graves Mountain.  Stop by and say hi if you're able to come out and join us!

Enjoy the journey

Mary C. Gildersleeve

By Hand, With Heart -- hand-knit designs
bhwh.mary@gmail.com

Baby Knitting: Knitted Blanket

Here's a blanket I just finished the other day for a friend. It's a fun design that I've played with before ... but I particularly like the edging on this one.

Spread out, the heart bands make a cross -- which is a very cool motif!

This was made on 10s using 2 skeins of TLC Heathers. You start at the center and work your way out ... so it's pretty fun knitting. Also, since I've charted it, I can change the edging by the time I get that far!

Here's another version of the same blanket ... this time done for a boy in "Blue Moon" (a TLC Heather color) and on 11s (so it's a bit drapier than the one above). Here you can see the cross made by the hearts.

This pattern is charted and tons of fun to do!

Baby Knitting: Thinking outside the box

One of the MANY things I like about designing hand-knits is that I can think outside the box, go beyond the traditional, and create new traditions.

Here's a great example: a few years ago a friend came to me and asked me to design something for a couple who were having their first baby. I showed her something things I'd made in the past ... a baby blanket with a lamb on it, the christening set, etc. But nothing seemed to be just right.

Then ... my then-6 yod came running in with a stuffed cow I'd knit for her a few years earlier.

Well Jessie just fell in love with Sassie Cassie the cow and wondered if I could do a "cow theme" as the young couple and their new baby would be moving back to the family farm ... a dairy farm!

Here's what I came up with:

A cozy, cow binky (note the white "picket" fence surrounding the field) and a stuffed cow The blanket (which actually was very straight, but the camera angle makes it look a bit catywampus!) has a calico fabric sewn to the back so that the baby didn't get tangled in the intarsia cow.

This was a pretty untraditional baby gift .. but Jessie and the new mom LOVED the set.

When you have a baby boy ...

... it's never easy to find cute but manly baby things. Even though I haven't had a baby for almost 5 years, I really wanted to design something for a baby boy -- something that would be baby-ish but not girly, y'know?

So, here's what I came up with:

A beautiful, though "manly", blue blanket (approx. 30 x 30) done with a heart lace pattern using TLC Heather in "Blue Moon" and US 11's. That same pattern is repeated in a bonnet (using a smaller needle -- a 2!)